Darling has miss the first eight games of the season, but is nearing his season debut. Darling will get at least one game with Charlotte before returning to the Hurricanes, where he is expected to be their No.1 netminder. Carolina will have to make a decision on who shares the net with Darling, as Curtis McElhinney has outplayed Petr Mrazek so far.
Rittich allowed two goals on 26 shots in the Flames win in Colorado last Saturday. Rittich played very well in his first start of the season and will look to build off of that tonight in New York. The Rangers have started the season at 2-4-1 while averaging just 2.43 goals for per game (25th in the NHL).
Gibson stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Ducks win over the Islanders on Wednesday. Gibson has won four of his first six starts while posting a 1.89 GAA, .948 SV% and one shutout. With the Ducks hosting the Sabres on Sunday, Gibson is expected to start Saturday and Ryan Miller is expecting to face his former team tomorrow.
Howard allowed two goals on 30 shots in the Red Wings loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday. It was Howard’s best game of the young season, but he is still winless while posting a 3.57 GAA and .893 SV% in his first five starts. Tonight he meets a Panthers team that is coming off of their first win of the season last night, but the back-to-back makes Howard a more viable option.
Gibson stopped 34 of 35 shots in the Ducks win over the Islanders on Wednesday. Gibson has won four of his first six starts while posting a 1.89 GAA, .948 SV% and one shutout. With the Ducks hosting the Sabres on Sunday, Gibson is expected to start Saturday and Ryan Miller is expecting to face his former team tomorrow.
Getzlaf has missed the last five games with a groin injury, but skated on the top line with Rickard Rakell and Isac Lundestrom in Friday’s practice which suggests that he’ll be back tonight. Getzlaf has two assists in two games so far this season.
Hutchinson allowed one goal on 11 shots after replacing James Reimer in last night’s shootout win in Washington. Entering last night’s game is not expected to affect Hutchinson’s start on Saturday. The Red Wings have not won a game this season, so Hutchinson makes for a solid start this evening.
Price allowed two goals on 25 shots in the Canadiens win over the Blues on Wednesday. Price has enjoyed a strong start to the season, winning two of his first four starts while posting a 2.24 GAA and .912 SV%. He should be able to continue that strong play tonight in Ottawa—Price was 2-1-0 with a 1.35 GAA and .956 SV% vs. the Senators last year.
Raanta allowed one goal on 34 shots in the Coyotes win in Chicago on Thursday. Raanta continues to play very well for the Coyotes, posting a 1.98 GAA and .921 SV% in his first five starts. As good as he has been, Raanta is a risky option in Winnipeg this afternoon.
Donato has been disappointing in the early portion of the season, scoring just once in six games. He will be a healthy scratch for the second time in four games and will be replaced by Anders Bjork.
Bjork was a healthy scratch in Edmonton on Thursday, but will replace Ryan Donato in the Bruins lineup in Vancouver. Bjork has scored just one goal and one assist in five games this season.
Miller suffered a head injury while blocking a shot in Edmonton and will return to Boston to be undergo further testing. With Charlie McAvoy also out, Urho Vaakainen has been called-up and will play on Saturday.
McAvoy took a hit against Edmonton last week and has not been feeling right according to head coach Bruce Cassidy. McAvoy will undergo testing in Boston, so he won’t be available for Saturday’s game in Vancouver. Kevan Miller is also out, so Urho Vaakaninen has been recalled and will play.
Halak allowed three goals on 22 shots in the Bruins overtime loss in Edmonton on Thursday. Halak has become the most trusted goalie in Boston early in the season, posting a 1.69 GAA, .939 SV% and one shutout in his first four appearances. He has a better matchup tonight than he did in his last two starts.
Lehner was forced to leave Thursday’s game in Los Angeles, but stopped 28 of 30 shots and earned the win regardless. Lehner is surprisingly O.K. and will start tonight in San Jose. So far he has stopped 87 of the 93 shots (.935 SV%) that he has faced in his first three starts with the Islanders.
Beauvillier missed the Islanders morning skate and will be replaced by Tom Kuhnhackl in the Islanders lineup on Saturday. Beauvillier is considered day-to-day.
